Former Albanian national football team player, Redi Jupi, has described the deployment of 2,500 security personnel for the upcoming match between Albania and Serbia as excessive. He believes that this fixture, although sensitive, does not warrant such a high level of security measures.
In an interview with Serbian media outlet Sportklub, Jupi stated that the presence of so many police forces politicizes the sport and creates unnecessary tension.
“I hope there will be no problems in the stadium, but I am not satisfied with the measures being taken by the government and the police. I have heard that there will be 2,500 special police officers in the stadium, that roads will be blocked again; this is too much. I don’t like it when politics is present in sports, and here it is clearly visible. The police should be present, but not for everyone to see them. For a football match, 2,500 police officers is excessive. I heard that the Serbian team changed their hotel, and this is not good for this match,” he said.
Redi Jupi, who has worked as a sports analyst in Tirana for several years, spoke in a conciliatory tone towards the Serbian national team, stating that the guests are welcome in Albania and that the match will be challenging for both sides.
“But we must fight, be smart, and get the maximum out of what is offered. It will not be easy,” he declared.
The former footballer acknowledged that this is not an ordinary sporting encounter.
“It is a match full of emotions, full of history, not sporting history but political, and it will not be easy for the players. Especially for our players, to be outside of this. But I hope they will succeed. I hope all those things about Kosovo and Serbia, about Albania and Serbia, will calm down, and as seen, all guests from Serbia have been well received here,” Jupi said.
He also spoke about the previous match in Belgrade, which he described as anything but a normal game. “Serbian fans, the Serbian public did not behave as they should have, but I don’t want to talk much about that. I hope all players, especially those of Kosovan origin, will play without those thoughts in their heads,” he expressed.
Jupi emphasized that, at the end of the day, the focus should only be on the game and the points. “We must think about the points that need to be won,” he concluded.
